GE to Build 30-Megawatt Battery Energy Storage System

GE today announced it will provide Coachella Energy Storage Partners (CESP) with a 30-MW battery energy storage system as part of CESP’s supply contract with California’s Imperial Irrigation District (IID).

Representing GE’s largest energy storage project to date, the plant will be located in California’s Imperial Valley, approximately 100 miles east of San Diego. The facility will aid grid flexibility and increase reliability on the IID network by providing solar ramping, frequency regulation, power balancing and black start capability for an adjacent gas turbine.

GE will provide CESP with an integrated energy storage solution, configured using GE’s Mark* VI plant controls, GE Brilliance* MW inverters, GE Prolec transformers, medium-voltage switchgear and advanced lithium ion batteries housed in a GE purpose-built enclosure. The plant will be operated by ZGlobal, an engineering collaborator with CESP, for the first 18 months, after which control will transfer to the IID.

“This project is a game changer to the energy industry and will be one of the largest battery storage plants in the western United States,” said Ziad Alaywan, P.E., a California energy veteran and president & CEO of ZGlobal Inc. “We are confident in GE’s technology and look forward to a successful project.”

The deal marks GE’s third project using lithium ion battery technology since expanding its portfolio in recent months.

“While we always strive to provide competitive pricing, what really differentiates GE is the fact that we listen to our customers and help craft a customized energy storage strategy,” said Anne McEntee, president and CEO of GE’s renewable energy business. “We focus on full system performance rather than individual component pieces, allowing customers to match power production with demand in real time and utilize grid assets more efficiently.”

GE anticipates project construction will begin early next year, with commercial operation scheduled for the third quarter of 2016.